READING GUIDE CHAPTER 2
Field Note:
1. What is total fertility rate? Why is this an important statistic?
2. What will the long-term consequences of Europe’s low TFR’s be?
3. What national policy further complicates Japan’s population problems?
Key Question: Where in the world do people live and why?
Define:
a. Population Density
b. Arithmetic Population Density
c.
Physiological Population Density
d. Record at least one of the examples in your book (specific countries) for high and low
physiologic density and high and low arithmetic density.
4. What are the four regions in which the population of the world is clustered? (see headings on
pages 43-46 and study the map on 42-43)
5. The countries of East Asia:
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What percentage of the world’s population is clustered here?
Is China’s population density strictly due to the urban areas?
6. The
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countries of South Asia:
Where are the people concentrated in India?
Make sure to study the map on pages 42-43.
How much of this area is agricultural or rural?
What are the physical barriers that create the boundaries of the S. Asian population cluster?
9. The
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#3 population cluster is in Europe.
How does this cluster compare to the S. Asia cluster?
What is the explanation for the lengthy population extension into Russia?
Is this cluster more urban or rural?
What is the historical explanation for this?
10. The countries of North America (#4)
 What term do geographers use to refer to the huge urban agglomeration along the East
Coast?
 How big is this population cluster if Canadian cities are included?
 Does the population density in New York City rival that of Mumbai or Jakarta?
Key Question: Why do populations rise or fall in particular places?
11. Who was Thomas Malthus? What is he known for?
Describe Malthusian theory:
Describe the beliefs of a Neo-Malthusian?
12. Why is Russia’s population declining?
13. Describe how the population growth picture differs at the local scale in India.
Define, Describe and give abbreviation where applicable:
Doubling Time
Crude birth rate
Population Explosion
Crude death rate
Demographic Transition
Natural increase rate
a. The larger the percentage of dependents, the _____________ the financial burden on those
who are working to support those who are not.
b. Which age groups are classified as dependents?
c. What is the dependency ratio in Stage 2 countries? How about Stage 4?
d. What are the issues with having a large percentage of children?
e. What does the higher percentage of the elderly in later stages of the DTM reflect?
f. How does the ‘graying’ of a country cause problems?
Make sure to read about the sex ratio as well. What are some of the real-life circumstances that affect
a country’s population pyramid?
14. What is stationary population level (SPL)? (p. 57) Why is it desirable? At what number do UN
predictors think global population will stabilize and when?
Key Questions: Why does population composition matter and how does the geography of
health affect things?
15. Define and give abbreviation where applicable:
Population Pyramids
Infant Mortality Rate
Child Mortality Rate
Life Expectancy
a. What are vectored diseases?
b. What does the number of chronic diseases tell us about population composition?
c. Genetic diseases?
16. How do governments affect population change?
a. What was the purpose of the USSR’s and Mao’s expansive population policies?
b. Give an historical example for each of the following
a. Eugenic population policies
b. Restrictive population policies
c.
What impacts and unintended consequences have resulted from the One-Child Policy in
China? (from class)
Reading Guide Chapter 3
Field Note:
1. How does the author of this field note describe Haiti?
2. What happened to the Haitian migrants who were caught by the Coast Guard?
3. How and why has U.S. policy towards Haitian immigrants changed since the 1970’s?
4. How many illegal immigrants live in the U.S. by estimates?
5. What are remittances and why are they important?
Key Question: What is migration?
6. Compare and contrast the following:
a. Cyclic movement
b. Periodic movement
c. Migration
Define:
Transhumance
International migration
Internal migration
Key Questions: Why and where do people migrate?
Define:
Forced migration
Voluntary migration
Step migration
Push and Pull factors
Intervening opportunity
7. Describe some common push and pull factors.
8. How important are kinship links in fostering chain migration?
9. What was the largest and most devastating forced migration in the history of humanity?
10. Who was Ernst Ravenstein?
11. Describe Ravenstein’s laws of migration: (five)
12. What is the gravity model and how did it influence Ravenstein?
13. How does migration differ across different scales? (global, regional)
14. What are islands of development and how do they affect migration at the regional scale?
15. What national migration stream affected the U.S. population, historically speaking?
16. How are refugees and their rights defined and determined?
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What is the definition of a refugee?
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What is asylum? What are some reasons it might be granted to a refugee?
Key Question: How do governments affect migration?
List some ways . . . .
Where are people coming to the U.S. from and why? (use figure 3:17 and class notes to help
you, dates work backward)
Since 1990:
Since the 1960’s and 70’s:
In the immediate postwar period:
Between the turn of the century, but before WWII:
In the 1800’s: